Fournette sets LSU record, Tigers top Ole Miss, 38-21

Orgeron said Fournette is “the best player in America”.

DRIVE: 2-84-0:53. KEY PLAY: On first down, Fournette has an 8-yard run to the LSU 24 to set up the touchdown on the next play. These Tigers consider themselves a totally different team than the one that started the season 2-2 under Miles.

Fournette missed two games.

I don’t think it did. “He just man-hunted him”, said LSU defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, who had a flawless view of it as Fournette caught a short swing pass from quarterback Danny Etling on the last play of the first quarter and shifted into Hummer gear right on the LSU sideline.

Ole Miss (3-4, 1-3) was trying to save its season, a might-have-been effort in which the Rebels built three-touchdown advantages against Florida State and Alabama, only to lose both times.

Interim coach Ed Orgeron looks to build momentum for keeping the full-time job at LSU, as the Tigers host Ole Miss in a critical game for positioning within the SEC West on Saturday night. “Youth is no longer an answer in certain places, and neither are injuries”. We’re a family and we’ve got to fight in hard times. After holding Ole Miss to a punt with about 1:15 left in the half, LSU got the ball back on its own 15. And obviously, we’re going to play better this year.

Playing close to 100 percent for the first time all season, Fournette displayed his signature hard-nosed running and breakaway speed that made him a preseason Heisman favorite.

As the 2016 season started, supporters of the Tigers were anxious to see how the addition of Dave Aranda, LSU’s new defensive coordinator, would benefit such an experienced group on defense.

“After every two carries, I was done”, said Fournette, who leaned on backup tailback Derrius Guice, who added 57 yards on 16 carries.

Mississippi: The Rebels’ defense is sprinkled with big-play talent, but the unit as a whole doesn’t consistently play together and gives up too many big plays and too many points.

LSU: Fournette certainly made up for lost time. The junior running back has barely been involved, but that has not held him back. The explosive running back that was hampered by an ankle injury was the workhorse that LSU needed.

Ole Miss is fresh off a 34-30 loss to Arkansas in the final minutes.

LSU used a record-setting day by Leonard Fournette to propel the Tigers over the Ole Miss Rebels 38-21. With Ole Miss struggling to stop the run and dealing with concerns at the linebacker position, expect the Tigers to test this front once again on Saturday night. Fournette is expected rejoin him this week to give the Tigers a 1-2 punch that will go right at an Ole Miss defense that ranks 12th in the league against the run. The Tigers have outscored their last three opponents by a combined score of 73-7 in the second half. The Rebels are the only team in the AP Top 25 that does not have a winning record.

He is also preparing for the Orgeron he knows – the Orgeron who will likely not forget what happened at Ole Miss.

Following the pair of road contests, the Rebels return to Oxford for another divisional matchup next Saturday. Provided they win the SEC Championship game, LSU could end up in the College Football Playoff, because it played such a tough schedule.